Bill Text

A BILL

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct
the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for assistance in
hiring additional school-based mental health and student service
providers.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Student Support Act''.

SEC. 2. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND STUDENT SERVICE PROVIDERS.

(a) In General.--Subpart 14 of title V of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7269 et seq.) is amended--
(1) by inserting after the subpart heading the following:

``CHAPTER A--SYSTEMS INTEGRATION; PROMOTION OF SCHOOL READINESS'';

and
(2) by adding at the end the following:

``CHAPTER B--SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND STUDENT SERVICE PROVIDERS

``SEC. 5545. FINDINGS.

``The Congress finds the following:
``(1) The Surgeon General of the Public Health Service has
found that although 1 in 10 children and adolescents suffer
from mental illness severe enough to cause some level of
impairment, in any given year fewer than 1 in 3 of these
children receives needed treatment. The short- and long-term
consequences of untreated childhood mental disorders are
costly, in both human and fiscal terms.
``(2) School counselors, school psychologists, other
qualified psychologists, child and adolescent psychiatrists,
and school social workers are needed to help these children and
to provide a variety of crucial support services.
``(3) Across the United States, there are insufficient
resources for school-based counseling professionals, and often
students...

Sentiment Map

Nation

State: CA

District: 1st

0Supporting

1Opposing

0%100%

Popularity Trend

Organizations Supporting

No organizations supporting yet.

Organizations Opposing

No organizations opposing yet.

Users Supporting

I support H.R. 320: Student Support Act becauseI have worked as a substitute teacher and teacher in both public and charter schools in my district and I know firsthand the frustration of not being able to help a child who obviously needs additional support that is not available through the schools and hinders the educational process for that child. I support my representative Congresswoman Barbara Lee who sponsors this bill.

I support H.R. 320 ("To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of") because...The reason murders keep happening is because of mental insanity, if we can work to create less crazy then why not do it? We need more work to fix dangerous people and help people not want to commit mass murders, because if they're crazy enough to want to they're crazy enough that they will do it.

Users Opposing

I oppose H.R. 320: Student Support Act because...I believe this is a decision best left to the states. If an individual state decides it needs to hire more counselors, then they can do so. I don't believe money sent to states for education should be itemized to certain needs, but instead be given a fixed amount to cover their education needs. To be honest, it is my opinion that the Department of Education be abolished completely and the States keep the education revenue they collect and decide for themselves how it is spent.

I oppose H.R. 320: Student Support Act because this country does not need to spend more money. This is a matter best left up to the individual states to handle. Follow the 10th Amendment and let states fix their own problems.

I oppose H.R. 320: Student Support Act because the Govt has all ready spent too much money on education. These are local issues and not the roll of the Govt. Give the states back or tax dollars and we will do whats best for our children.....

I oppose H.R. 320: Student Support Act because...Obamacare extends many medical benefits to our citizens. There should not be any grants from our federal government to pay beyond that. Spending must be cut, and this bill is yet another attempt to expand government.

I oppose H.R. 320: Student Support Act because...working in education myself, I think throwing more money at schools is very low on the list. The amount of money wasted trying to do everything for everybody is disgusting. Get the Federal government out of education completely. They shouldn't be there since education is not in the Constitution. Let people vote with their feet. Having a one size fits all model doesn't work for pants, why would it work for our kids. Get the federal government out of schools. Let the people in the trenches decide where they need to put the money.
I have never stuck my nose into a automechanic's garage and told him that he needs to buy a whole new set of sockets and the ratchets that go with them, because there was this car once, in this place I read about, that had this type of bolt head. And yet, that is what the government does every single day with the education field. Tell the government to butt out. Let teachers teach.

Bill Summary

1/18/2013--Introduced.Student Support Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to make matching grants of at least $1 million to states for allocation to local educational agencies (LEAs) so that additional school-based mental health and student service providers may be hired, thereby reducing the student-to-provider ratios in elementary and secondary schools to specified minimum levels recommended by the leading counseling, guidance, and mental health organizations. Sets those minimum ratios at: (1) 1 school counselor for every 250 students, (2) 1 school psychologist for every 1,000 students, and (3) 1 school social worker for every 250 students. Requires grants to states and state allocations to LEAs to be made pursuant to specified formulas that take into account a state's and school district's share of children in poverty.